As we rely more on technology, cyber security threats have become even more frequent and dangerous, posing significant risks to both individuals and organisations. A cyber security threat is any harmful action aimed at damaging, stealing, or disrupting data, important systems and digital activities. Common examples include computer viruses, malware, data breaches, etc.
When businesses are targeted by a cyber attack, hackers usually try to access valuable information like their intellectual property (IP) information, customer data, or payment details. While some attacks happen suddenly, most may take days, weeks, or even months to be discovered. Therefore, the first step to protecting yourself is understanding the threats one might face in the digital world.
Let's look at some common cyber security threats:
Most Common Cyber Security Threats
1. Malware Threats:
Malware, also known as malicious software, is designed to harm computers, networks, and servers. It's one of the most common types of cyber attack and includes things such as ransomware, spyware, trojans, viruses, and more.
Malware often sneaks into the system when someone clicks on a dangerous link or email attachment, installing the harmful software. Once in the system, the malware can do a lot of damage, such as blocking access to the computer systems until a sum of money is paid (ransomware), installing even more harmful software, stealing confidential information from the hard drive (spyware), and disrupting parts of the system, making it unusable.
Attackers can hide the malware anywhere, the most common places being app downloads, mobile websites, or phishing emails and texts. Once the device is infected, the attacker can access personal information, location data, financial accounts, and more.
2. Social Engineering Threats:
Social engineering attacks trick people into giving up their confidential information rather than hacking the systems directly. It happens often through phishing emails, where people are fooled into downloading malware or sharing their login details, which is usually the first step in a bigger cyber attack.
Employees usually don't even realise they've been tricked until an outsider tells them. Such attacks have become increasingly common besides there being more awareness now. This is because attackers are now using advanced computer programs, or artificial intelligence (AI), to create more convincing phishing emails and fake messages that trick people into sharing their sensitive data with them.
Phishing, pretexting, and business email compromise (BEC) are all examples of social engineering attacks that use psychological manipulation tactics to exploit the individual's emotions. By using love, fear, money or status, the attackers gain sensitive information, which they then use to extort organisations or gain an advantage in cyber security information.
3. Cloud-Security Threats:
Storing data in the cloud can be safer than keeping it on company premises because big cloud providers often spend a lot of money on security and have expert teams to handle all kinds of threats. However, there can still be weaknesses, especially when some parts of the cloud are self-managed. Legal teams often point out cyber security as a key issue when using cloud services.
As more organisations use cloud computing, securing the cloud becomes very important. A good cloud security plan includes solutions, controls, policies, and services to protect all parts of the cloud setup, including data, applications, and infrastructure, from attacks.
Attackers usually target the company itself rather than the cloud software, extracting login details or sensitive information from the employees instead. More often than not, the security tools provided by cloud providers are not enough to ensure high-level security. This is why extra third-party solutions are needed to protect against data breaches and targeted attacks in cloud environments.
As businesses rely more on cloud computing, weaknesses in cloud infrastructure have become more noticeable. Common issues like poor configurations and weak access controls can lead to unauthorised access and data breaches. For example, the badly set up S3 storage in Amazon Web Services (AWS) caused major data losses for big companies.
4. Supply Chain Threats:
Supply chain attacks are a big cyber security issue for software developers and vendors nowadays. These attacks can sneak malware into real applications through things like source code and software updates. Attackers do this by looking for weak spots in network protocols, servers, and coding methods to steal data and mess with their build and update processes. They then change the source code and hide the harmful content, making it close to impossible to spot the threat.
These types of threats are especially dangerous since the compromised applications are signed and trusted by vendors. Often, the software vendor doesn't even know that their applications are infected, which causes the malware to run with the same trust as the application.
In the past, organisations focused on securing their own systems by hardening the perimeters and limiting access to authorised users. However, this approach is vulnerable to attacks, as attackers can exploit the whole organisation by gaining access to one of the authorised users.
Supply chain attacks can target various areas, such as build tools, development pipelines, code signing, and developer accounts. The attackers might send malicious code as updates to hardware or firmware or pre-install it on physical devices.
5. IoT Devices Threats:
The growth in cloud technology has opened new opportunities for hackers to extract company information and exploit vulnerable organisations.
Cybercriminals are continuing to devise more sophisticated ways to infiltrate company systems. They often exploit vulnerabilities such as weak, easy-to-guess default passwords or connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks with weak encryption. These practices make organisations or individuals easy targets for hackers and enable them to intercept the data transmitted over the internet.
IoT devices are most vulnerable to threats such as malware, ransomware, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Compromised devices give cyber criminals access to connected networks, allowing them to steal vital corporate data, logins, financial information, customer information, and other sensitive data. They then use this information to commit identity theft, fraud, and other cyber crimes.
Conclusion:
Cyber security threats are becoming more advanced and widespread, putting both people and organisations at risk. Common dangers include malware, ransomware, phishing scams, cloud security and supply-chain attacks. Hackers usually exploit weak passwords, unprotected Wi-Fi networks, and loopholes in software updates to steal sensitive data. Thus, it's crucial to stay vigilant by updating your software regularly, using strong passwords, and educating staff about recognising and stopping phishing attacks.
Many training programs, such as those offered by Future Connect Training in Cyber Security, are vital for teaching people how to defend against evolving cyber threats. If you want to learn more about cyber security, register today with Future Connect's practical cyber security course to help you and your team stay safe from hackers and keep your data secure.